Howdy, it’s Linda… Here we are in the Lone Star State, enjoying this beautiful piece of our wonderful country. I envisioned rocks, dessert and cowboy boots, but instead we’re seeing densely lush rolling hills and the beautiful cities of Austin and San Antonio. We’re seeing quaint old-fashioned small towns, and we’re seeing modern cityscapes. Above all, we’re seeing outsized Texas-style welcoming hospitality. Not to mention extremely large cattle, like the one in this picture!

We’re having a wonderful time this week visiting what they call the Hill Country of Texas and enjoying a perfect view of Canyon Lake. Yesterday we drove up toward Austin and ventured into the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. My first thought was, “Wow, I wish I had brought my pastels!” There were vast fields of wildflowers dotted with beautiful blues, yellows, oranges, and pinks. There were grasses swaying gracefully in the wind. And in the distance, there was a tree of unique character, standing amidst all the other trees, yet standing out boldly alone in the sea of color. At that point, I was off in my own little world, wondering how I could paint this scene to bring out those vibrant colors. A photograph just can’t capture colors the same way that your eye does. And how could I strengthen that tree with light and shadow to give it a strong presence in the painting?

One of these days, I think I’ll bring back that memory, and then there will be more than just a photograph to get lost in. Maybe then I’ll create a pastel painting that will delight your eyes with color and relax your mind with tranquility.

This is the reason I have been falling in love with the plein air technique of painting landscapes – you see so much more in person. Then as an artist, you can use your discretion about what to use and what to leave alone in your paintings.

I’m looking forward to telling you more about our adventures deep in the heart of Texas! Until next week…

P.S. – Come visit me at the Shadyside Arts Festival on May 30th and 31st on Walnut Street. There will be two festivals this year, spring and summer, with the second show being the end of August. I’ll have many of my landscape originals there as well as my Pittsburgh scenes. Check my calendar for more details then mark your calendars!

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

This week was Graduation Day for my first five-week pastel class! Though I’m proud of my wonderfully talented students, I’m sorry our time together had to end. It was a real privilege to work alongside such creative people!

We had a lot of fun together throughout the five weeks of the series. We celebrated our final class in style, enjoying beautiful background music from the very talented Ron Bernhardy at the piano. Funny, but it seemed that everyone enjoyed painting even more with the live music, and I think they even painted faster! In my opinion, the music inspired them to even greater creative heights.

All the students in the class were new to pastels, so for each of them the learning process was both a challenge and a journey. During the course of the program, they came to love the medium and were all justifiably proud of their work. New friendships were forged, and beautiful art was created. Best of all, it was so gratifying to me to see their growth as artists, I’m thinking about when I can schedule another series of classes. A big thank you to my wonderful students!

Check out this great testimonial from one of my students!

“First, thanks for the 5 enjoyable evenings! I appreciate the techniques I’m beginning to understand thanks to you.

I knew I had a long distance to go, and I still have a lot to learn, but the skills you taught us will help a lot. Being with my fellow students was so enjoyable… it was a therapeutic time for me!

Thanks for having the class and motivating me to move on with my painting. I hope you’ll be considering more classes in the future.”

I’ve been super busy lately, so I’m looking forward to some much-needed time off. I will be leaving on Friday for a two-week vacation in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. I hope to get some serious R&R on this trip, but just in case, I’ll be bringing some art supplies along! I love the wide blue Texas sky and the scenery that’s so different from what we have here in Pittsburgh. Who knows? I just may find the time to do a little sketching! I will definitely share some photos of my artistic adventures in the Lone Star State.

I’ll do my best to rest up during this trip, because when I return, it will be time to kick into high gear getting ready for the summer show season! When I get back, I’ll have more to tell you about where I’ll be exhibiting this summer. Better yet – I’ll be ready to reveal my newest painting!

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

What a busy week this has been! It began with a birthday serenade with lots of people singing “Happy Birthday” to me. Their lovely voices made me smile and got my birthday week off to a wonderful start.

Then while Tom attended the Pirates opener with the Bucs and thousands of his closest friends, I actually had a peaceful time painting with my pastels and reading over 200 birthday wishes throughout the day. Partly thanks to Facebook, of course! So if you’re one of my Facebook buddies who wished me a happy birthday, I thank you as well. You made my day!

This has been a big week for me professionally as well, and I have some awesome news to share…

Yesterday I received an exciting new commission. Oakland Catholic High School has asked me to create a painting commemorating their tradition and their legacy. I’m pleased and honored to be part of their celebration! For those of you who have suggested that I paint St. Paul’s Cathedral, I feel this commission brings me a little closer to that project becoming reality, as Oakland Catholic is directly related to St. Paul’s.

A few months ago, I told you about another commission that I’m working on, the Forbes Hospital project. Well, that too is coming along, and I’m still in the information-gathering phase. In fact, next Wednesday I’m meeting with many of the doctors and staff who have been with the hospital long-term to reminisce about the history and collect some old photos.

More good news – it’s just been confirmed that Wendell August Forge and Linda Barnicott will be continuing our partnership for two more years. I couldn’t be happier to continue my relationship with this prestigious and distinctive gift business.

Monday night will mark the ending of my first Pastel Art series, and we’re celebrating by painting to the tune of live piano music by Ron Bernhardy. It’s going to be fun to paint to some really great music. I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed and that our five weeks together are coming to an end. It’s been an honor to teach these classes and to work with such talented students.

As you can see, it’s really been a busy week! I told Tom “I’m going to be painting all day, every day… Just put the food outside my studio door, and I’ll see you at Christmas!”

P.S… I was just kidding about holing up in my studio until Christmas! Actually, if you need a gift in the next week, please do not hesitate to give me a call at (412) 283-4072, email me at info@lindabarnicott.com, or order online at www.lindabarnicott.com. I always have time for you!

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

I hope you are all well this week and had a great Easter weekend! Ours was full of life and activity this year as we celebrated by hosting the entire family for our first Easter dinner in our new home. In fact, this year for the first time, we actually had to extend our table into the living room in order for everyone to fit!

Speaking of a full house… my storeroom is full to bursting with inventory! Prints of Pittsburgh, prints of amusement parks, prints of sports scenes and schools in the Pittsburgh area. But it’s not just paintings and prints. Over the years, I’ve turned many of my paintings into note cards, and those boxes take up a LOT of room. Which is another reason my storeroom is overflowing!

You’d be surprised at how many of my paintings are available on note cards, and unless you came to my studio, you would never have seen them all at one time. Now I’ve organized all of my note cards into collections, and you can check out all the collections on my website at https://lindabarnicott.com/note-cards-for-sale/.

They make excellent gifts for Mother’s Day, hostess gifts, teacher gifts… or why not include one as part of a Pittsburgh-themed gift basket?

Finally, some real spring weather! I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful week!

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

This week the new art collector in my life asked me how I got to where I am as an artist. How did it all start? Without hesitation, I told him it’s always been about wanting to make people happy.

I always knew instinctively that painting was my gift. Once before I was married, I was painting a portrait in the living room, and my grandfather looked on and said, “You know you’re going to get married and never paint again.” I looked at him in shock and said, “You don’t understand! I will always paint, I can’t stop! It’s part of who I am.”

This has been true for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory of “being an artist” was my first day of second grade. When my teacher entered the room for the first time, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I remember taking out my notebook to draw her so that after school I could show my mom what she looked like. I developed a habit of drawing my teachers, and they seemed to enjoy their portraits, despite my early technique! Maybe it was my way of daydreaming, but I was definitely fascinated with drawing the face.

Then when I was in sixth grade, I was a shy child who was constantly being picked on. I tried everything I could think of to make friends… bringing gum to class, dressing as cool as possible… but nothing seemed to work. Then one day I ended up with a bloody nose and a trip to the girls’ room when the girl who hated me the most hit me in the nose when the teacher wasn’t looking.

After thinking long and hard about what to do, I drew her portrait and gave it to her. It achieved the result I hoped for… she left me alone for months after that. Later when she started back to her old tricks, I painted her again. It took three portraits that year, but I successfully made it to seventh grade without another bloody nose, and I realized how I could make positive use of my gift. Through art, this shy child was able to find a place to fit in.

Over the years, I created many more portraits of people I cared for. It made them happy, and it made me smile inside. My portraits created wonderful memories of both the living and loved ones who had passed on. I definitely wanted be a portrait artist when I grew up!

But then I started painting the city of Pittsburgh, and I found the path that would define my career. My work was inspired by your stories of meeting under Kaufmann’s Clock, going to hockey games with your family, and riding Kennywood’s Carousel, and these have brought me immeasurable joy.

Now I am also blessed to create landscapes that bring rest and tranquility and remind us of peaceful places far away from all the hustle and bustle. I’m also painting full-size portraits again and passing on my techniques by teaching others. I have learned so much, but I’ll always be learning from all of you.

Thank you for being there for me!

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

This week was the first meeting of my new pastels class. What a pleasure to have such motivated and dedicated students! The class consists of aspiring painters of all ages, and everyone showed up excited to get started.

I couldn’t have asked for a better group of students… Everyone encouraged and helped each other. I felt like there was a powerful creative energy at work in the studio. There were actually moments when everyone was concentrating so hard you could hear a pin drop. We all had a wonderful time and did great things. I can’t wait until next Monday to continue our creative journey together!

Good thing I’ve finally recovered from my 10 days at the incredible (but exhausting!) Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show, because I just had a super busy week. In fact, I have some exciting news to share with you!

This week I sold two more of my original pastel paintings: “Pittsburgh’s New Home for Hockey” and “Winter’s Glow on Grant Street” (my newest painting). I felt like a mother bird sending her babies out from the nest… sad to see them go, but happy because they have gone to a wonderful new home. The only problem is that now I’ve had to rearrange all of my paintings to fill in the empty spots on my walls. I told Tom, “Looks like I better get back to the studio! No time to waste!”

I hope you have a peaceful and productive week as we enter into springtime at last! Keep me in mind when you’re looking for a memorable gift for someone special! Remember, a Pittsburgh painting or beautiful landscape makes an awesome birthday/Easter/Mother’s Day present!

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

It’s a wrap! Tear it down, pack it up, move it out… and take a few minutes to put my feet up now that I’ve finished my 20th year at the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show! Just as I’d hoped, this year’s show was even bigger, better, and brighter than last year! It was delightful to see so many new faces and to be reunited with long-time friends. A big “Thank You” to all who came by to see me!

So… now that the show is over, it’s time to get back to my favorite thing of all – painting!

First off, remember how I promised I would have some news for you about a new series I’m working on this year? Because I like to reward my faithful followers, those of you who are on my list will be the first to see the sketches and follow along with my progress as I paint these three pieces. This new series will be a limited edition, open edition, and will be available in several forms.

The new series will feature a holiday theme. It may be March, but I need to do my planning now and get busy painting soon – art takes time, and it will take me months to have them all ready for the 2015 Holiday Season!

So what do I have in store for you this year? Let’s just say that on December 27th of last year, I had a real celebrity visiting my studio! Santa himself came to see me at my house at 326 Turngate Drive. Because I tried so hard to be a good girl last year, that jolly old man agreed – with a twinkle in his eye! – to pose for my camera.

Now the magic is in my hands! My new Santa Series gives me the chance to return to my first love of portraiture and combine it with beautiful, whimsical holiday settings. I promise I’ll do my best to create something extraordinary!

As always, I’ll keep you posted on how the paintings are coming along as the year goes on. So keep an eye out for that fellow in red, and I’ll have something new to add to your Christmas list this year!

PS… I start my art classes next week. Unfortunately, a few folks had to cancel for medical reasons. Please keep them in your prayers. If you would like to be on my waiting list, please email me at info@lindabarnicott.com. I’m planning a summer session as well.

PPS… I love painting to music! So as a special bonus during this series of classes, I’ve arranged for one of our painting sessions to be accompanied by live music!

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

We’re in the final days of the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show! If you haven’t had a chance to stop by yet, I’ll be here until the show closes at 6 p.m. Sunday.

As you already know, this year has marked my 20th anniversary at the Home and Garden Show, and it’s already been a memorable one. Many of you have already taken the time to visit me at the booth to say hello, including quite a few folks I hadn’t met before.

It’s not just about selling my artwork. The best thing about being here is reconnecting face-to-face with long-time friends as well as meeting so many wonderful new friends. I’ve heard many funny stories and many touching stories, some that have even made me cry. Just being at the show is a blessing… is it any wonder I’ve been coming back for 20 years?

This is also my time to listen and learn. I get so many amazing ideas for future paintings by talking to show visitors and hearing their suggestions – from portrait commissions, to new Pittsburgh scenes, to favorite Kennywood locales, I thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Speaking of Kennywood… I had an exciting day on Monday when I sold one of my original pastels, “Celebrating Kennywood’s Fall Fantasy.” My originals are very dear to me, but it warms my heart to place one in a happy home, knowing it will be bringing a smile to someone’s face every day.

Remember, there are just a few days left to take in the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show and especially to visit me at Booth #3146-8 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. I’ll be looking for you! Be sure to stop by and say hello.

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

At last, the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show has arrived! To say that I’m excited is an understatement! And for so many reasons – maybe it’s because this is my 20th year at the show… or the fact that Spring is finally predicted to arrive and bring better weather (fingers crossed for warmer temperatures and no snow for the next 10 days). Or maybe it was seeing old friends on the loading docks and on the show floor, with many of my fellow artist friends setting up right alongside of me in “Artists’ Row.”

Whatever is responsible, I’m certainly feeling inspired… and I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at the show this year. I’m at Booth #3146-8. To learn more about the show, visit my Calendar of Events.

PS… As this blog is being posted, there is only one copy left of “A Holiday Tradition”. So if you have your eye on that one, call me if you’d like to reserve this print before it’s offered to the public at the show. Please call my cell (412-722-9413) or shoot me an email at info@lindabarnicott.com so I can set it aside for you.

It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been writing my blog, almost every week now, for a little over a year and a half. Some of you have just joined me recently, while many of you have followed me for a long time. It means a lot to know that you’re out there reading my stories each and every week. If you enjoy hearing about my “adventures” and keeping up to date with my sales, I would love it if you would please tell others who might enjoy it, or my work, about my website and my blog.

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

Just before Christmas, I received a very special commission, and I’ve been working diligently on it over the last few weeks since I returned from Florida.

One of my clients had asked if I would paint a portrait of his parents. My goal was to make my subjects come alive, as if they could literally step out of the canvas. I wanted to create something that my client and his family would treasure for a lifetime.

To begin, I asked him for his favorite photo of them (the first thing I always request for portrait work), and he gave me an old studio shot of his parents. The photo was from the 1980s, and the colors had really changed and faded. Fortunately, he had enough supporting photos that I was able to find everything I needed to get the details just right.

I thought you might enjoy a little glimpse into how the finished portrait came together…

Me: “Hi R, here is the first draft. Each draft I will change the drawing to be more and more accurate. Please let me know your concerns as we go.”

R: “Superb! You are doing a great job! The detail is emerging quite nicely…”

“I am in awe when I see the wonderful work that you have done so far with their portrait. WOW!! How perfectly you captured both of them!”

“The more I study your work, the more I am convinced that what you have done is now looking far better than the photograph! The clarity, the dimension, the depth, the color tones are all right on the money. Mom looks as though she is ready to come alive and jump off the canvas…

As was already said, this is not only a WOW, but also a WOW! WOW!”

Because I love the challenge of capturing the real essence of my subject, a portrait is my favorite kind of art to create! If you or someone you know would treasure an original painted portrait of someone you love, let’s get together for a consultation. Just give me a call at (412) 722-9413 or send me an email info@lindabarnicott.com. Remember, good art takes time, so plan ahead if you want to commission a portrait to commemorate a special occasion.

PS – Coming next week – Big doings at the Home and Garden Show! Come see what my 20th year at the show looks like! The show runs from March 6th to March 15th at the David L Lawrence Convention Center (Booth 3146-8).

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.